Storied River Oaks Mansion of Late Texas Governor John B. Connally Jr. Hits the Market With a $8.9 Million Listing Price — Inside a True Power House
If Only The Walls Of This Elegant Houston Home Could Talk
BY Shelby Hodge // 08.28.24
Regal reception spaces at 2411 River Oaks Boulevard help set the home of the late Texs governor John Connally apart. (Photo by TK Images for Compass)
If the walls in the elegant white stucco home at 2411 River Oaks Boulevard could talk, the sales price for the former Houston home of Texas Governor John B. Connally would easily surpass the listing price of $8,995,000. For when Connally and his beloved wife Nellie called it home, he served three terms as Texas governor, then worked as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and ran for U.S. president.
One can only image the powerful tête-à-têtes, engaging dinner parties which Nellie Connally was known for, and political strategy conclaves that took place within the storied walls. This is one River Oaks mansion with a Texas Historical Marker that will surely not meet the wrecking ball.
Built in 1958 as his own modern styled home by Rice-educated architect Ernest Shult, the 8,400-square-foot residence boasts five bedrooms, eight full baths, one half bath, a resort-like pool setting, separate outdoor entertaining area, three-car garage and ground level quarters with a private entrance.
The half-acre-plus property at the corner of River Oaks Boulevard and Locke Lane served as the Connallys’ official residence from 1969 to 1984. John B. Connally III recalls that when his father was a partner with the Vinson Elkins law firm, he would ride by his son’s nearby Locke Lane residence on the way home from the office and blow the car horn. It was a signal to get the grandchildren Nellie and John B. over to the governor’s house for some grandparents love.
Through the decades this impressive River Oaks home has been meticulously maintained and gently updated. Of special note is the glass-enclosed, climate-controlled wine room that overlooks one of the casual entertaining areas. This River Oaks house also boasts an pstairs game room that opens to a spacious terrace, plus a poolside fitness center with a private bath.
Doric columns in public areas of the neoclassical interiors definitely lend a presidential air. Immaculate hardwood, marble and stone floors are testament to the care given to the historic home.
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The beautifully landscaped grounds are punctuated with mature oak trees generating an air of Southern elegance to the River Oaks property. And as with any house of this importance, size and location, there is a generator.
The home is listed with Compass mother-daughter real estate agents Laura Sweeney and Lexi Sakowitz Marek.
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